Christian publishing company sets up Hendersonville HQ

Once the corporate headquarters for Sholodge Inc., this building on Maple Drive North in Hendersonville is the new global headquarters for Accelerated Christian Education.
(Photo: Tena Lee/The Hendersonville Star News)

An educational products company whose biblically based K-12 curriculum is used in more than 145 countries announced this week plans to locate its global headquarters in Hendersonville.

Accelerated Christian Education has moved its headquarters into the three-story corporate office building at 130 Maple Drive N., according to Dr. Greg Mutsch, the company’s director of business administration.

Mutsch said the company, founded in 1970, underwent a muti-step move from its longtime headquarters in Lewisville, Texas — about 20 minutes from Dallas. The company had been leasing space in nearby Madison for the last six to seven years searching out locations across Middle Tennessee.

A.C.E. Maple Drive, LLC purchased the property from SRS Investments in February for almost $5.4 million, according to Sumner County Register of Deeds records. The three-story, 47,000-square-foot building is the former corporate headquarters of Sholodge Inc.

Mutsch said his company is the premier school starter organization in the world for starting K-12 Christian schools. Its non-denominational K-12 curriculum is used in schools the organization starts — 95 percent of which are in churches. The company also has a popular home-school curriculum.

A.C.E. will keep its distribution center in Lewisville and is in the process of moving its customer service center here as well as other departments, according to Mutsch. The company is currently hiring for several positions and will employ a staff of around 100 employees.

Mutsch said the Nashville area’s three interstates and international airport were definite draws for his company.

“It was just a good fit. It met all the criteria we were looking for,” he said. “Hendersonville is just a really dynamic community.

“We are a second-generation ministry organization, and we wanted to be in a location supportive of our mission and core values,” he added.

Scott Spencer, the company’s executive director of finance, thanked city officials, especially Mayor Scott Foster and Economic and Community Development Director Don Long for helping the company make its transition “smooth and efficient.”

“I am excited that A.C.E. chose Hendersonville for its corporate headquarters, and I very much appreciate their investment and commitment to the community,” Foster said in a joint statement issued this week by the city and A.C.E. officials.

Long said on Tuesday that while the city doesn’t have the funding to offer incentives for companies in its budget, his office does what it can to assist them in other areas like finding suitable locations or educating their employees on the benefits of moving to Hendersonville.

“I think they recognized that we’re a business-friendly community and we’re always looking for solutions, and they find that welcoming attitude beneficial to their bottom line,” Long said.

Reach Tena Lee at 615-575-7116 or follow on Twitter @tenalee1.

To apply for jobs

For employment opportunities, visit the company’s website at www.aceministries.com.